Hello Ran
by T.W.Kidd
Summary: The trials, tribulations and triumphs of the Mouri pregnancy. A short fluffy story about Kogoro and Eri. Just for fun. \ (ツ) /
1. Chapter 1

_*Author's Note: Since DC exists in a floating timeline and I am not aware of a solid date of marriage for Kogoro and Eri's here is the timeline for this story:_

 _Ran is 16-17 years old (same age as Shinichi) and Kogoro is 38, meaning she was born when he was 20-21. Students usually finish college around 21-22 and we know that Kogoro graduated from Beika. Law school takes 4 years pre-law and 3 years of law school as far as I know. This assumes Kogoro and Eri married right after high school. I am not up to date on the timeline so this may be inaccurate. Thanks! Enjoy!_

* * *

Kogoro sat in a hard metal chair wearing only his ribbed undershirt and boxer shorts. He ruffled through the morning paper while a rattling rusted fan blew hot air around the one room apartment. Eri slept fitfully on a futon a few feet away from him. They hadn't been married for very long and, between Kogoro in his last semester as Beika and Eri still in pre-law classes with three years more of school ahead of her, they were struggling to pay rent for the ramshackle room they were staying in. Dinner usually consisted of meatless broth and weak tea while breakfast was black coffee and cigarettes, like Kogoro had in front of him now.

He stuck the butt of his cigarette into the ashtray, smoke escaping in curls as the ember was extinguished. God, it was so hot. Sweat made his clothes stick to him, made his skin stick to the chair. The heat had been why he'd woken up so early. He had decided to leave Eri as she was. The last few days she'd been complaining of feeling tired. She needed the rest.

The sun was barely coming over the horizon. It would only get hotter as the day wore on. Kogoro wiped the sweat from his brow. He lit another cigarette.

"How can you smoke in this heat?" Eri's voice condemned from the futon. Kogoro looked and saw that she was propped up on one elbow, looking at him. Her dark hair was soaked with sweat and hanging limply around her face. Without her glasses, her blue eyes couldn't quite focus on his face. A few small spots of new acne had appeared across her nose in the last few weeks. She was gorgeous.

"Years of practice, dear." He said grinning. She had been nagging him to stop since he'd started. She rose, wearing only an oversized t-shirt. Kogoro's eyes devoured the curves of her legs and hips as they disappeared under the fabric. She blushed and tugged the hem of her shirt.

"Pervert." She scolded but smiled.

"Not perverted if we're married." He countered, turning back to his paper. "I made coffee, if you want some."

Both of them were barely more than children. They had married young, as soon as they were able. All of their parents had advised against it, with good reason. The two bickered endlessly, they were poor, they were rash but the two stubborn lovers had insisted. Eventually, they got their way. They were living together, playacting adulthood while struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. They were ridiculously happy.

"Yuck, no thank you." She said, making a face.

"Yuck? I thought you liked coffee?" He asked.

"I thought I did too, but lately the smallest sip makes my stomach turn." She answered. Kogoro looked at his young bride. She was pale, dark rings under her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping well. She'd been refusing food, too. He wondered if she were sick.

"You don't look so good," He told her. She scowled at him, flattening her hair.

"Well, you're no prize in the morning either!" She snapped.

"That's not what I meant. I meant you don't look healthy." He stammered, his temper rising. Eri crossed her arms.

"Well, if I look that bad, I suggest you turn your eyes elsewhere." She stormed off towards the bathroom. Kogoro growled. That woman was absolutely infuriating.

The bad mood from their tiff carried through the morning as Kogoro began to get dressed for work. He threw himself out the front door and slammed it behind him.

His mind lingered on the fight all day. They'd been fighting a lot lately, more than their usual bickering and needling. Eri had been restless at night, tossing and turning. He worried that maybe their parents were right, maybe they had rushed into this. Maybe they'd made a mistake. He was ashamed, feeling like he wasn't a good husband. Of course, being hungry and hot all the time didn't do much to improve either of their tempers.

When he returned home, Eri hotly informed him that he could cook his own dinner and turned her back to him. She refused to look at him or speak to him.

"Witch!" He grumbled, rifling through the cabinets. He boiled water and made himself a bowl of broth, barely sprinkled with vegetables. They slept in the futon together, their backs turned to each other.

The next day, Kogoro woke first, his arms having found Eri in the night. He had one arm cast across her waist, his face nuzzled into the back of her neck. He sighed, realizing that no matter what happened, this is how he always ended up. He closed his eyes, ignoring the growing heat between them. This is where he wanted to be more than anything.

Suddenly, Eri sat bolt upright, one hand clutching her stomach and the other over her mouth. Kogoro sat up beside her.

"I feel so nauseous." She said, not looking at him.

"Maybe you should go to the doctor?" Kogoro said, instantly forgetting all the bad feelings that he'd been so sure of the night before. He put one hand to her forehead but didn't feel a fever. He brushed her hair away from her face.

"I think I'll be okay." She said "I'm just so tired."

"Stay home today." He advised. "Get some rest, okay?"

"Okay." Eri said, unusually complacent. She curled back into the bed. Reluctantly, Kogoro rose and got ready for work again. He dressed swiftly and, before he left, kissed her once on the forehead. It wasn't like her to be taken down by an illness. She usually worked through anything. That woman seemed to be made of stone, sometimes. Nothing could break her down.

Eri followed Kogoro's advice that day, walking several miles to the nearest free clinic. She sat politely in the waiting room, her head spinning. Why did she feel so terrible? She didn't have a cough or fever, only this persistent upset stomach and dizzy spells. When it was her turn, they doctor poked and prodded and gave her news she didn't expect.

"Are you sure?" She breathed. The doctor nodded.

"Are you married?" He asked accusingly.

"Of course I am." She replied.

"Then go home. Celebate." He said offhandedly, passing her brochues and literature. She numbly nodded as he gave her additional warnings, instructions and a date for a follow-up exam. She walked home more slowly. She'd heard terrible stories about such accidents. Husbands walking out, demanding the baby be given away or worse. Demanding their wives quit school or work. She laid her hands on her belly. A foreign land to her now. Not her Kogoro, surely. He was many things but not that. He was never cruel to her. Why should he be now?

Still the fear persisted.

Walking home from work, Kogoro dug deep into his pockets and produced a few pennies to buy ginger root. When he was little, his mother used to give him ginger root for an upset stomach. Maybe it would help Eri feel better. Maybe she would take the small gift as his apology. They could have a pleasant dinner together tonght. He carried it home in his pocket. It was dark by the time he unlocked the door to their home.

Eri was sitting in the metal chair, eye closed, letting the fan blow over her face. She was dressed and groomed neatly, as always. Her nose and cheeks were red. He realized that she'd been crying. She held a small book in her hands, resting gently on her lap. She opened her eyes when he walked in, looking at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Eri?" He said "I bought you some ginger maybe that will help your—"

"I'm pregnant." She said evenly, without letting him finish. The floor fell out from beneath Kogoro. He felt as if his heart had stopped beating. She stood and faced his squarely.

"You're…?" He breathed.

"Pregnant." She said again, almost defiantly. In one swift movement, Kogoro approached Eri. She looked up at him, hiding her fear. What would he say now? How would he react?

A smile bloomed over his face.

"Pregnant?" He repeated. Nervously, she returned his grin.

"The doctor says about six weeks." She said. Kogoro grabbed her hand in his.

"Pregnant!" He said loudly, laughing, babbling "You? You've got a little baby inside you? You and me? Eri!" He suddenly crouched in front of her and lifted the bottom of her shirt and addressed her belly button "Hello in there! My name is Kogoro. Nice to meet you!" He plastered her belly with kisses "I love you, in there. I can't wait to meet you."

"Kogoro, stop it." Eri blushed red and pulled him back to his feet. He laid both his hands over her belly. His face was flushed. Tears crept into the corner of his eyes.

"Pregnant." He said again.

"We're going to have a baby, Kogoro." She said, tears falling again down her cheeks. He wrapped her in his long arms, pulling her tight against his chest. They stood together for a long moment, doing nothing more than melting into each other. That night they had dinner together, looking through the information that Eri had been given, and slept wrapped in each others arms.

* * *

"This is so embarrassing." Kogoro groaned, hiding behind a newspaper. The two sat together in the waiting room of the free women's clinic.

"You said you wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat." Eri reminded him irritably "Where else did you think that was going to happen?"

Kogoro grumbled to himself and sunk deeper into his chair. Kogoro had the day off from work and had indeed told Eri he'd like to come along and hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. Now, however, being the only surrounded by women in various states of pregnancy he felt very conspicuous. He blushed when he saw the posters that illustrated the fetus' growth within the womb. He wished he'd never asked to come.

Eri was called back and Kogoro followed, shoulders hunched. When the nurse saw him she paused but smiled.

"How nice of you to come with your wife." She said sincerely "Is this your first."

"Uh…Yeah." Kogoro answered. The woman showed them to a small exam room where an ultrasound was waiting for them.

"It's really very neat." She told him. "You'll be able to see and hear the baby on this screen." She took some information from Eri and asked her to pull up her shirt. Spreading thick gooey petruloiuem jelly across her tummy, the screen came to life with blurry picture.

"Is that the baby?" Kogoro asked, pointing.

"No, not that," The nurses said "The little one seems shy today. We'll—oh! There's the baby." The nurse pointed at a section of the screen.

"I don't see a baby." Kogoro said grumpily. The nurse traced a gray image across the screen for him. He nodded as if he understood but didn't see it. She fiddled with the equipment and they heard a rapid thump-thump in the unmistakable pattern of life.

"There's the heartbeat." She said.

"How beautiful." Eri felt herself start to tear up again. The pregnancy had made her terribly emotional. She quickly wiped her eyes. "Do you hear that, Kogoro?"

"That's the baby's heartbeat?" He said.

"A good strong heartbeat is a good sign." The woman added.

"Well, of course it's a strong heartbeat. Any son of mine is destined to be blessed with physical prowess." Kogoro laughed.

"Or daughter." Eri pointed out stubbornly.

"It's a boy, I can tell. Just listen to that!" Kogoro said, indicating the steady thump-thump of the ultrasound. Eri scowled.

"I think it's a girl." She said stubbornly. Kogoro crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at her.

"What do you know?" He chided. "A man can tell when he's going to bring a son into the world to carry on the family name and traditions. It's a boy. Spitting image of his father. "

The bickering continued all the way home and over the next several days, Eri convinced one and Kogoro convinced of the other. Of course, neither of them would be able to find out for several more weeks so the argument was useless but old habits are hard to break.

* * *

"Back again, eh Mouri-Kun?" said the clerk at the convenience store. It was nearly midnight and Eri had demanded Kogoro go out to buy her salty potato chips. Kogoro, dead tired from work and school, had only argued a little before agreeing. It had been a few weeks since he'd heard the baby's heartbeat and Eri had suddenly found herself in the hurricane of pregnancy cravings. Kogoro had been working extra shifts to help pay for her prenatal vitamins and extra food but found most of it being spent here in the middle of the night.

"That old woman won't give me a moment's peace!" He complained. His near nightly visits to the closest corner store had led to him becoming very familiar with the old man who worked the counter. He was short and balding and well into his fifties. He was kind to Kogoro.

"Ah, it only gets worse from here." He said sagely.

"Worse? It can't get worse!" Kogoro said, snatching the desire food from the counter.

"Soon, her belly will start to swell, and her ankles and her temper!" The old man said jovially "Then you can come tell me about the beast your pretty young wife has become."

"If she gets any worse, I may stop coming home!" He threatened emptily. The old man laughed, knowing from many years of life how untrue that statement was. Kogoro dropped the chips on the counter and asked for a pack of cigarettes for himself. The man rung up the order but Kogoro found himself short of cash.

"Oh—Uh, just the chips then, I guess." He said, pushing the cigarettes back toward the clerk. He'd be able to bum smokes off the other men at work. The clerk smiled kindly, feeling the gesture in his heart. Kogoro could have just as easily taken the cigarettes and returned Eri's snacks but it hadn't even occurred to him.

"You're a good man, Mouri-san." He said and pushed the cigarettes back towards him. "A small gift. From an old father to a new one."


	2. Chapter 2

Kogoro woke to the sound of Eri shrieking.

"Kogoro!" She squealed. She stood near the table, her hand clutching her stomach. He leapt to his feet and ran to her.

"What? What is it?" His heart pounded in his ears. "Is it the baby?"

"I can't get them buttoned!" She told him, tears streaming freely down her face. He looked and realized that over her new baby belly, she couldn't fasten her pants.

"Damn it, Eri! I thought something was wrong!" He shouted at her, heart still racing.

"Something is wrong!" She shouted back at him, her distress turning immediately to anger "Today's my appointment to find out the sex of the baby and I don't have any pants to wear! Kogoro, I'm a fat cow." She dissolved into tears again.

Nearly twenty weeks into her pregnancy, Eri found herself absolutely at the whim of her erratic emotions. The more she tried to control herself, the more she found herself falling apart at the slightest thing. She wiped her eyes angrily with the heel of her hand. She felt like everything was spiraling out of her control. She kept being told that these mood swings were normal but she surely didn't feel normal.

"Now, now…" Kogoro said, offering her a small smile "Would I marry a fat cow?"

"Oh, Kogoro…" She whimpered, still trying to dry her face. He patted her soothingly on the back. She tried again to force her waistband around her belly to no avail. Kogoro put his hands on her taught skin, rubbing her stomach in small circles.

"Our baby is growing." He told her "You should be excited that he's doing so well."

"She." Eri corrected him stubbornly.

"We'll just see about that, won't we?" He stuck his tongue out at her. She returned the gesture. He had a way with her that no one else did. She cleaned her face with a washcloth. When she returned Kogoro tossed an article of clothing at her. She caught it and held it up. It was an elastic-waisted skirt.

"Well, I'm off." He said, casually, waving over his shoulder as he walked out of the door "I'll see you tonight."

Eri stepped into the skirt and found that it fit snugly over her belly. She felt tears begin to stream down her face again but now she was smiling.

* * *

"Right there!" Eri insisted, pointed at the black and white ultrasound "The baby is a girl! Even the doctor says so."

"I don't know looks inconclusive to me." Kogoro said, stroking his chin.

"Inconclusive my foot!" Eri scoffed "You're just a sore loser. Like always."

The two of them were laying together on the futon, inspecting the image that Eri had brought home from the doctor. Kogoro had one had resting on top of Eri's belly, her hand laid on top of his. She had gone out that day to a local thrift store and bought some clothing that would accommodate for their growing daughter.

"Well, son or daughter," He said closing his eyes and tucking one arm under his head "Any kid carrying the Mouri name is destined for greatness."

"Perhaps I will name her Kisaki…" Eri said thoughtfully.

"What!? You're joking!" Kogoro shouted, sitting upright.

"And why not?" She challenged "All sorts of modern women do it!"

"Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged, _anata_!"

And so on into the night until they had both argued to their content. Of course, Eri had no intention of giving her daughter her own surname. That night, as Kogoro snored, Eri sat awake, her hand tracing lines over her stomach. She thought about her own mother and her grandmother. Did they, too, lie next to their husbands like this? Young? Poor? Afraid?

That afternoon, after she had bought her clothes, she had looked at the second hand baby items. Car seats and strollers and diaper bags… everything was so expensive. Their budget was pushed to its limit as it was. Maybe Eri should drop out of school and get a job. She could always try to be a lawyer later, after the baby was older. She turned to her side and looked at Kogoro.

He still wanted to enter the police force. A police officer would make enough money to support them if they weren't trying to pay for school at the same time. Maybe it would be better for everyone if she did become a housewife. Her heart broke at the idea but maybe her own heart shouldn't matter anymore.

Kogoro shifted in his sleep, moving towards her. She allowed his embrace and hid her face in his chest. Everything suddenly seemed so difficult and confusing. Just a few months ago it was so much simpler. Would she be strong enough to handle all of it?

* * *

"Mouri-San!" The old man at the corner store greeted Kogoro as he walked in the door of his shop a few days later. "How's the family man?"

"The old woman found out we're having a girl." Kogoro said "I was sure it was a boy."

"Ah, every man wants a son until he has his first daughter." The old man said. He dug his wallet out and retrieved a small old photograph. He showed it to Kogoro.

"That's my little princess." He said, indicated a black and white image of a child dressed in the austere fashion of thirty years ago. The picture was so tattered that it was surprising the thing didn't fall to dust. "She has two little brothers, too, but she was my first."

"Well, here's hoping she's nothing like her mother. Don't think I could stand being bossed around by two old nags." Kogoro said, handing the photo back. The clerk began to ring up his purchases. Eri had been craving spicy foods for the last week or two. Kogoro had learned to just buy her what she wanted without complaint and had become accustom to his talks with the local clerk. The man was kind to him.

"Daughters are always like their mothers." He said, bagging the items "Is it such a bad thing? I love my wife. Why shouldn't my princess be just like her?"

"Your wife isn't a stone cold harpy." Kogoro grumbled and thanked him. The man only laughed and bid him goodbye.

Kogoro carried the bag home and let himself in the front door. Eri was sitting at the table, their checkbook and some papers in front of her. She was budgeting their money for the next week, tapping away on a calculator.

"I brought you your food." He announced, holding up the bag and expecting praise.

"I'm not hungry." She answered distractedly. Kogoro deflated.

"Of course you're not," he mumbled to himself "When you sent me off, you were starving." He walked over and peered over her shoulder at the figures.

"What's my allowance look like next week?" He asked.

"Not great." She said sadly, "Even with you working extra shifts, things are very tight."

"Maybe we should stop spending so much money at the convenience store." Kogoro suggested, grumpy to hear that he wouldn't be getting very much pocket money. He fished a cigarette out of his shirt pocket and stuck it in his mouth.

"Maybe you should quit spending money on those things!" She retorted, snatching it out of his mouth "I've told you that you aren't supposed to smoke around me. You should just quit. You won't be able to smoke around the baby anyway!"

"I forgot!" Kogoro snapped, yanking the cigarette away from her "A man can't enjoy one thing in this house without being scolded for it!"

"Fine. Go ahead and smoke. The consequences on your head. When our little baby is breathing in that terrible stuff…" She crossed her arms stubbornly.

"I'm going outside! I'm going outside! Enough already." Kogoro stormed out the front door and slammed it behind him. He angrily lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply. Stupid woman. He wasn't an idiot. He knew not to smoke around pregnant women. Hell, when he was a kid mother's smoked all the time and it didn't make a difference. What harm could he do by lighting a cigarette now and then? Can't a man have any pleasures? She got to have all the junk food she wanted, it seemed only fair he got to have this.

Kogoro stood outside for nearly half an hour, his temper simmering. He burned through several cigarettes, the butts collecting on the sidewalk. The nights were cooler now, not as they had been. Fall was creeping into the air. The apartment that had been so swelteringly hot would soon become frigid and unbearable.

"Kogoro! Kogoro!" Eri shouted urgently for him. Startled and annoyed he swung open the door. She was still sitting at the table. Her hand lay on her belly.

"Come here!" She urged him. "Quickly!"

"If you're going to complain about your clothes again…" He started to berate her but she grabbed his hand and laid it against her skin, beaming at him. There, just barely detectable but there, was movement.

"She's kicking." Eri whispered, laying her hand on top of Kogoro's "I've never felt it before. She's kicking for the first time."

Kogoro knelt beside his wife. He could feel it. Their little daughter was moving inside her mother. What he felt defied words. She wasn't just a blurry ultrasound or an expanding belly anymore. She was real. He could feel her.

"Hello in there." He said, "I'm Kogoro. I'm your daddy."


	3. Chapter 3

Eri was getting rounder and rounder as she entered the last few weeks of her pregnancy. She had begun to waddle when she walked. She needed Kogoro to help her stand from the futon or when she sat on the ground for meals. She'd taken to eating at the desk, sitting in the uncomfortable metal chair causing pain to radiate up her back and through her hips.

The house was littered with baby items in preparation for the birth. Eri's hospital bag packed and waiting by the door. Friends and neighbors had kindly donated second hands clothes and toys that Eri had been meticulously washing and trying to store neatly. There wasn't much room for all the extra items and the room was getting cramped.

The baby moved all the time and Eri carefully monitored her behavior so as not to accidently induce premature labor. The doctor said that was mostly old wives' tales but it didn't do any harm to avoid extra stress or discomfort. However, living with a man like Kogoro made eliminating stress a very difficult task.

"Kogoro!" She shouted at him late one afternoon "What do you mean that you're going out drinking tonight?"

"I mean that I'm going out drinking!" He retorted. "The whole Judo team is celebrating our state victory."

"When you go out drinking it always ends up with you out flirting!" Eri jabbed her finger into his chest.

"Don't get jealous, old woman, it looks bad on you." He said, batting her finger away. Eri fumed, balling her fists.

"If you go out you can find another bed to crawl into, because you're surely not coming into mine." She crossed her arms.

"Maybe I'll do just that!" Kogoro retorted and stormed out the door. He lit a cigarette and began his long walk to the bar. The air was cold, winter was coming strong. He tugged his threadbare coat around his shoulders, knowing the walk home at closing time would be even more miserable. By the time he arrived at the bar, his face was red and his toes were cold through his shoes. He was greeted with enthusiastic cheers and his friends pushed a beer into his hands immediately.

"Kogoro!" They called "Finally!"

As the night wore on and on, and Kogoro being served more and more drinks, he found himself dancing the arms of a beautiful blonde college student. Blushing with drink, Kogoro found no reason to refuse her advances. The old jukebox played over the ruckus of loud patrons and laughter. The hazy air was filled with heavy cigarette and cigar smoke. His friends disappeared into the crowd and suddenly the bar tender was calling for close and Kogoro found himself stumbling onto the sidewalk with the woman.

"Walk me home, handsome?" She purred.

"Sure thing, gorgeous." He slurred and followed her down the road. The woman giggled coquettishly, tugging flirtatiously on Kogoro's lapels, as they walked. He followed like a wayward puppy. As they reached her stoop, the woman took Kogoro into her arms again. He giggled drunkenly.

The air bit into Kogoro's ears. He wanted nothing more than to be bundled up under a heavy comforter. The woman leaned towards him. He could feel the warmth of her skin, smell the gentle floral perfume she had dabbed on her neck. Her cheek brushed against his.

"Why don't you come up?" She whispered, her lips close to his ear. She moved to plant a kiss on his cheek but found only empty air. He'd taken a step backwards.

"Not for me, beautiful." He said, smiling softly. He waved and turned away from her "Thanks for the dance!"

Kogoro trudged home, his hands buried deep in their pockets to stave off the cold. Turns out that the woman had lead him a few miles in the wrong direction so it was almost four in the morning before he finally reached home. The weather and the walk had sobered him some and now he was just tired. He saw through the window that the light was still on. He opened the door and found Eri, glasses on and sleeping on top of one of her textbooks. She must have been waiting up for him.

Kogoro kicked off his shoes at the doorway. Gently, he removed Eri's glasses and tucked the blanket around her shoulders. He kneeled there a moment next to her, her brow furrowed making a small wrinkle in her forehead. He laughed softly at her worried face. He reached out and touched her hair. She made a small noise and opened her eyes.

"Kogoro?" She said sleepily, rubbing her eye.

"Uh, yeah, just me." He whispered. She scowled.

"And what do you have to say for yourself you lazy drunken letch?" She said.

"Huh? Is that anyway to greet your husband!" He snapped.

"When he's a no good flirt, it is. Good night, Kogoro." She closed her eyes stubbornly and pulled the comforter to her chin. Kogoro huffed and stood up. _What a nag_ , he thought to himself and shuffled out of his clothes.

* * *

Eri sat amid a pile of baby clothes. She'd been nervously folding them and refolding them for days. She was now exactly forty weeks pregnant. The doctor assured her the baby would come when she was good and ready so to watch for pains or any sign of labor. Eri was worried. The baby hadn't moved much in the last few days but the pain in her hips had increased.

"Eri, would you quit fiddling with those clothes?" Kogoro said "You're driving me crazy." He sat a few feet away from her, sipping a can of beer.

"Kogoro?" Eri said, laying the item she was holding aside. She laced her fingers around her stomach. He looked at her over the edge of his newspaper. "What if I'm a bad mother?"

Kogoro answered with raucous laughter, dropping the newspaper.

"What's so funny?" She demanded.

"Eri, the only thing you're bad at is cooking." He teased.

"I'm being serious!" She threw one of the baby dresses at him, hitting him square in the face. He growled and dropped the dress to the floor. She lowered her gaze, angry and ashamed. It was not a look that Kogoro saw on her often. Uncertainty. Doubt. He picked his paper back up and hid his face behind it.

"I've eaten you're cooking for three years now. I'm being serious, too." He said offhandedly "Besides that, Eri, you're good at everything you do. You always have been."

"I- Do you really think so, Kogoro?"

"It's bit obnoxious, really…"

"Ugh! You're so rude!"

They both smiled, hidden from each other. Neither needed to see to know.

* * *

"Mouri-san! Mouri-san!" called a voice. Kogoro looked up and saw one of his coworkers trotting towards him. He stopped what he was doing. The man waved his arms, noticing that he had Kogoro's attention.

"Mouri-san!" He shouted "The hospital called! Eri-san is in the hospital! The baby is coming! She's in labor!"

"What? They called just now!?" Kogoro said. The man nodded happily. Kogoro ran to his supervisor who excitedly allowed him to leave. Kogoro leapt into a cab and raced to the hospital where Eri was furiously working to bring their daughter into this world.

Kogoro was restricted to the waiting room while Eri strained and sweated among the nurses and doctors. Kogoro paced the hallways, stepping outside to puff on cigarettes and rushing back the nurses' desk the moment he was back inside, in case he missed being called to the nursery.

After several hours, a nurse finally found him sitting in front of the droning waiting room television. He had bought flowers from the gift shop and was clutching them nervously in his lap. Leaves littered the floor around him.

"Mouri-san?" She said, making him leap to his feet "We're ready for you now."

"How's Eri? How's the baby?" He asked as the nurse lead him away.

"They're both fine. Your wife is resting and we have the baby ready for you to view through there." She indicated a long window, already crowded by several other men. He pushed his face against the window, reading the tags on the nursery baskets until he saw it.

"Mouri" said the tag, taped to the plastic basinet. Inside was his daughter, swaddled tightly in the clean hospital blanket. Her eyes were shut. She was beautiful. Kogoro began to tap on the glass.

"Hello! Hello!" He called, waving at the indifferent child. "Aka-chan! Hello!" The nurse touched his arm patiently.

"Please don't tap on the glass, Mouri-san." She said gently. "Would you like to see your wife? We'll bring the baby in a few minutes."

Kogoro knocked before entering Eri's room. She was sitting up in her hospital bed, dozing against the pillows. She had an IV in her hand, providing her fluids. Her glasses were lying on a small table beside her. Her hair was pulled behind her head but loose strands were falling across her face. She looked up when he entered.

"Kogoro." She said, smiling.

"Eri!" He said "I just saw her, she's beautiful!"

"Are those for me?" She asked spotting the flowers in his hand. "Orchids?"

"Yes!" He handed her the flowers, badly disheveled by his nerves. She laughed and set them next to her glasses. Kogoro took a seat next to her on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"She looks just like you." He told her. She leaned his head against his shoulder. The nurse entered a few moments later, wheeling the hospital basinet where their child was moving within her swaddle. The nurse placed the baby into Eri's arms.

"Hello, aka-chan." Eri said touching the infant's face. Kogoro reached out and put his hand on his daughter's chest, amazed at how his hand seemed to engulf her small form. He felt large and ungainly. Eri leaned over and kissed the baby's forehead. Tears began to fall down Kogoro's cheeks. With one arm around Eri and the other helping to cradle their child, he couldn't help it. He felt as if the whole world, the entire heavens, was resting in his hands.

* * *

One week later, at a quiet ceremony in their small home, Kogoro wrote the character that formed his daughter's name. Eri held her, dressed in spotless white as incense burned and tradition was observed as best they could. They didn't have much other than each other but they had done their best to respect their daughter's important day. Eri was still healing and resting but managed to smile as their parents presented gifts and fawned over their new grandchild. They dipped her foot and hand in ink, pressing them onto the _meimeisho_. Eri and Kogoro each wrote their names along the side. Then, in his best calligraphy, Kogoro printed two simple words that meant to him more than anything:

 _Mouri Ran._


End file.
